


The Holy Eyes

by ANarrativeCloud



Category: 07-Ghost
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-21
Updated: 2016-05-11
Packaged: 2017-12-09 02:06:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/768724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ANarrativeCloud/pseuds/ANarrativeCloud
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ouka has had enough of her title. And thus, she decides to run away and ending up on a certain church. Oh, what would the empire do, now that their precious princess is missing? No pairings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was the usual day at the Barsburg home. Ouka had dubbed it 'The Most Tiring Place in the World'. Every day, there was a strict schedule to be followed. The free time she usually has were in the early mornings and late afternoons. She seldom had enough time to go outside and wander about. Once a week, she would have a consultation with the doctors. And those examinations took their toll on her body. She knew she wasn't being treated by any stretch, but being  _experimented_  on. She knew but did nothing to stop it. The catch was, she didn't know what they were experimenting on her for. She knew what they were doing could help the country. After all, it was being supervised by a very close friend and she knew she wouldn't hurt her. But still, she had doubts, and doubting is a bad thing when you choose to trust.

Today was different though. She had the _whole_  day off. She wasn't questioning it. In fact it had made her infinitely happy. She had snuck out once again, dressed as a male servant not a sklave, for she couldn't exactly put on a collar on herself. The servant's hat hid her hair wonderfully no one noticed her pink hair.

Nobody even gave her a second look. Then the idea hit her.  _I want to leave here for good. A lot of people would be worried, I know, but I've been stuck here for 16 years now. I know this is what I want. I want to live my own life._  And thus, she went to her room, grabbed a tattered brown bag, her staff and left unnoticed. Exiting the room, a Little black Fyulong was waiting for her.

"Kururu! You're coming with me, aren't you?" Kururu nodded as she jumped up to her beloved mistress's shoulder.

"Oh, Kururu. But you'll have to hide. I would be found if you followed me. Hide in here." She whispered while opening the tattered brown bag. The Fyulong child entered the bag, he fit in perfectly with more space necessary. The bag was after all comfortably big. She walked boredly through the halls, twisting doorknobs every now and then, pretending to check whether or not they were closed.

_Weird. Gyokuran never saw me._ She checked her watch.  _Oh. It's still 3am… no wonder._  The she gracefully glided down the Grand Staircase. Then, using the side entrance, she exited the castle.

She went to a park, hoping that there would be a public washroom there. Kururu was wriggling in the bag, but she couldn't let her out yet, they were still in dangerous territory.

_'Gyokuran would kill me if she knew I ran away for good.'_  Ouka thought as she was walking under a non-descript brown coat, but still carrying the bag like it was really there. Her pinkish-white hair was put in a bun, wearing the hood to cover her face and head. With her casual clothes underneath, she had to walk more carefully. Walking like she belonged, she thought about the flaws in her escape.

_'Hm… I shouldn't have turned there… the guards might've noticed… Hmm… but I_ was _wearing a disguise, nobody should have noticed.'_ She didn't know where to go exactly, so she just wandered aimlessly, rummaging through her mental files of places which seemed friendly. She had, after all,  _finished_  Geography. And there, she got it.

_'The church in 7th district! Perfect! They let anyone there. I might be safe there.'_ She smiled. ' _This might just work out!'_  She then dropped her poise and walked 'casually' to the Train station. It wouldn't take her as far as the church itself, but it would lead her to the outskirts of the First District. And she would just walk all the way to 7th District. Thankfully, by the time her attendants would have noticed her missing, she would be far from the Hohburg Fort. It would be about one train ride and a 2 day walk, judging from the maps she had had to buy a train ticket first though. Tickets weren't expensive, even for the poorest ones. Though her 'Princess Allowance' card had more money in it, she had used her 'civilian card' for the money **. (1)**  Her Princess card was traceable and she was keeping a low profile and trying to escape the Royal life. The Booth man had given her a strange look, and she passed it off because she  _was_ wearing suspicious clothes.

The road she was using wasn't exactly safe either. The sun was also nearly setting, she had stayed at an inn in the middle of the road –obviously for weary travelers— the night before, and it was quite prosperous for an inn.

She changed to a simple light pink overcoat and a thick shirt underneath, for caution, she bought a jet-black wig that reached just by her waist. After all, she couldn't risk going out with  _pink_ hair.(2)( And hell, would she dye her hair.) It wasn't as itchy as she expected it to be. It was actually quite comfortable.  _I even look like, Kikune, one of my attendants._ She mused silently, giggling to herself. Kururu had exited the suffocating bag just as she had entered her designated room in the inn. The Fyulong looked extremely happy to be able to breathe freely again.

The Church's pristine white walls were standing just a few more miles away. She walked at a steady pace, not wanting to actually sprint.

By sunset, she had reached the gates of the Church, It was nearly closing and she just made it in time. She slowed to a stop when she saw a burly man guarding the gates. It wouldn't do if she just barged in, right?

"Are ya here ta take refuge on this 'ere church?" He was just about to close the gates, but stopped as he saw the woman clad in pink.

"Um, Yes Sir! Could I…?" She asked, nervousness in her tone. She couldn't blow her cover! Not a chance!

"All's welcome in this 'ere place! Ya batter hurry, though, mah shift's about ta end and the other man's nay friendly." The man was obviously an escaped criminal, judging by his but he seemed friendly enough. She wouldn't want to meet the other guard. If this kind of man told her the guy wasn't worth meeting, she'd agree.

"Thank you, sir." Ouka hurried along the slightly open gate. She walked toward the biggest building, not really sure on where to go. She might be lucky to see someone and ask for directions. She then heard some noise from just near the rightmost building, out of curiosity, she ran quietly to the source.

"Why doesn't it work? I know I can use zaiphon, but… why?" A male clad in white was muttering to himself. He was wearing what looked like the clergymen wore. What was that he was holding? She browsed through some of her mental files and her brain supplied her: 'Bascule'

"Who's there?" The male turned. Ouka caught sight of his eyes. It was  _green_. Green eyes were very much non-existent in the Empire, but according to history books, it was very abundant in the Raggs Empire Royalty, which had  _fallen_. She brushed off that thought, there couldn't be a survivor, could there?

"I'm sorry, but could you please tell me where I could stay? I am very much lost… And I'm not very familiar with the area." ' _Well, it is true._ ' She was really quite lost.

"Oh, just a villager… Where are you going?" He muttered to himself.

"I'm not exactly sure. I just want a place to stay in, and it's rather late…" She switched her demeanor to 'lost kitten'. She wasn't deceptive, but she was long used to many of the masks the royalties use to face different people. She just wanted to be herself, but those masks also did have their advantages.

"Oh! I'm sorry, how about I help you find one of the nuns? I'm also quite new here so I won't be much help. But they'll be able to." He was wiping his hand, and there were red stains on the previously white cloth.  _Blood?_ She started to become uneasy, what was he doing? He couldn't have been killing people off.

"Umm, if.. I may ask… What were you doing?"

"Oh, practicing how to cast using a Bascule. I'm not really sure what I was doing though." The male looked unsure of his words. Looking at the Bascule strangely "It just wouldn't work."

"Oh, I forgot, what's your name?"

Oh. What what she supposed to say? Ouka was a bit obvious. She couldn't get caught right away. But last name?

"Rose. Rose Maple." There. Oak was a given, but they could trace her down. Maple? It was also a tree. Also her name  _had_  Rose in it. Roseamanelle. Rose Maple. She was silently praising herself for her quick thinking. If she had screwed up there, it would be the end and it was still too early.

"Teito Klein. Nice to meet you." He smiled. The innocence in his eyes was prevalent. He wasn't exposed to the evilness of the society yet. She had seen it, but refused to accept them. Her soul was still pure. His soul was still pure. Untainted.

"Umm… Could you…?" She asked, not really knowing what to ask, so she just put the completion of the question to Teito.

"Sure. I'll come with you. I'm kind of used to the place already anyway."

**(1) Bishops used those silver and gold things right? So I think it might be the same for the others, It wasn't exactly showed how they pay for anything, so I made it up. It is a fanfiction after all...**

**And Ouka had two of them. Her 'Princess Allowance' and her 'Civilian Allowance' for when she was needed to leave the country unnoticed. The card was also untraceable, so it works in her favour. The Princess Allowance has quite the sum in it, and it is traceable if used, and she ran away so… there!**

**A/N I'm not exactly the persevering type, but I'll try to update soon. But! I think the updates might be a little inconsistent, but yeah.**

**Also, most of this story would be told from Ouka's point of View. She might be a little OOC, but It's hard to keep them in character when they have similar personalities to you. Most of 'em branch off with mine… soooo… yeah. You get the picture.**

**-there are some scenes that I removed, coz its… not preferable so… just saying.-**

-ANarrativeCloud


	2. Chapter 2

The 7th district church was peaceful. (She had refused to call it Barsburg church since it had her name, and she couldn’t quite say it was hers) No maids were crawling around. The usual sneers that Ouka was used to had disappeared, and the warm and welcoming smiles had replaced them. Ouka had rather liked the feeling. Her place in the palace wasn’t extremely important; however, her presence was needed. She hated being just a doll, being placed wherever the owner wishes to. She wanted to follow her dream, namely, becoming a successful doctor. Her father was completely against her dream, and she couldn’t stand it. She had cried to sleep that night it was declared. Even her closest, ahem, _friends_ weren’t allowed near her. The morning after, she didn’t come out of her room, even to eat. The king didn’t even show a shred of concern towards his daughter, when he saw the state of the princess, he had just ordered the maids to force her to eat. Ouka never forgave him for it, and she still hasn’t. _You don’t have the right to choose. You are just a doll. The kingdom’s face._ It still rang in her ears never fading. But this place, it calmed her spirits making her forget her miserable past.

Every now and then, she would do things to forget everything that happened in the palace and just do the things normal people do. She had known how to cook and how to wash clothes (secretly, of course, her father never allowed her to). She had helped the nuns during her stay and they had asked her if she wanted to become a nun and she had declined. Sure, it had privileges, but she didn’t want to have responsibilities. Not yet anyway.

Ouka avoided large crowds and mostly stayed in the vacant hallways. One of the more populated areas were quite fun to be in, but right now, she had to lie low, just in case. She had the place mostly mapped out. And in a case that someone found out about her identity and a chase was to be given, she would know where to turn and hide. Her mental files were _obviously_ very useful at times.

**==0==0==0==**

She had been staying here for more than a few days already and she hasn’t seen anyone that might recognize her. And hopefully, no one would. Her wig was still in place, but it needed combing and it had been a full day since she had bathed, and she planned to, soon. She wanted to do so the morning before, but there were too many people in line and the walls were lifted, so it was like a communal one. And she couldn’t show her pink hair. She had found out that there was a public bathroom at the leftmost part of the church, far from prying eyes (Males weren’t allowed to come fifty meters near the place). And they had a complete set of toiletries as well.

She had took up the habit of writing down names and draw faces of people in a little notebook she kept. It just had four profiles so far: Her own, Teito, Lazette, and Castor-san.  She had met Lazette on her first day’s stay, the Noel mermaid was extremely cheerful towards her. She was surprised to see that the mermaid was real. She thought that it only existed in fairytales, stories and the like. She got along well with Lazette. The mermaid was naturally friendly. She got along with her. But there was something wrong with the mermaid. Her… presence was _empty._ Like she doesn’t exist. She shook the thought off, maybe it was just a mermaid thing. Castor-san was just like Lazette. His presence… no _aura_ was different from the nuns. So it wasn’t just a mermaid thing after all. Something’s up with these people.

The sun was just about to rise and Ouka had already readied herself for the day. She had taken a liking to one of the smaller Bascules that was left near the courtyard. She had tried to cast with it, and she expected nothing to come out, but it surprisingly cast. She had wondered why Teito had a hard time casting using the Bascule, _It probably works differently for different people._ She just thought about things she could do with something that could exterminate kors without hurting the trapped soul. She secretly practiced it behind one of the far buildings. Kururu’s assuring presence had helped tons for her confidence.

She went to the church cafeteria. And took a bowl of eye soup. The first time she was served with these… _delicacies,_ she didn’t want to touch it. But after her first bite, she thought otherwise. It was wonderful. She took a smaller bowl for Kururu and walked toward an empty chair. She bit a little piece from the eyefish.

“Rose?” A familiar male voice called. Rose? Oh… It was her.  She looked to the source of the voice.

“Teito-kun! Good Morning!” She greeted softly.

“Good morning…” He said as he unconsciously rubbed his right arm. His eyes darting to every corner of the room.

“Hmm? Why the long face?” Ouka teased silently. Something was wrong.

“It’s… uh.. nothing…” His eyes were roaming.

“Mikage’s missing?” She voiced out.

“Uh.. Yeah, Have you seen him?”

“I’m sorry.”She sipped the last of her soup. “But how about I go with you?” She stood up, bringing her bowl and Kururu’s with her.

“But, I don’t want to be a bother…”

“Nonsense, ” Oops…looks like she used Gyokuran’s speech patterns. “I have nothing to do anyway.”

“Thank you.” Teito smiled. It was small, but it could be considered such for someone who rarely does.

She placed her plates near the sink then exited the kitchen area. “Shall we search?”

The search was unfruitful to be short; they had searched the halls and asked people. But no one saw the Fyulong.

“How about, you just wait it out? He’s bound to come back.” She smiled comfortingly.

“Uh… yeah… Um.. ” He paused looking unsure.  “Can I ask you something?”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Have you… lost something so precious that you have to get it back no matter what the cost?” He looked quite _lost_. He lost something precious, huh? She thought about it for a while. And she found it. Her answer.

“Yeah. Freedom.” The last part she whispered under her breath.

“I… lost some of my memories… I want to know what happened to them…”

“Memories are what makes a person… Someone with your personality…” She started.

“Huh?”

“Oh, sorry habit.” She shooed the thought away.

“Anyway, let’s go find Mikage.”


	3. Chapter 3

In the evening, she wandered off somewhere looking for her room. She had thought she already knew of most of the hallways in the church, but it looks like she was mistaken. It was lined with doors, and not really knowing what was behind each, she walked down the hallway. Kururu was nuzzling to her cheek in comfort. She petted the Fyulong gently. The day had been good to her. She had met Teito again, and it turned out, he was looking for his pet Fyulong. And it was coincidentally his best friend’s reincarnation. She chuckled.  She had somehow squeezed a little more information from Teito that she expected, and found out that his friend-though he refused to call him such- Frau had given him the Fyulong. When Teito had seen the Black-blue Fyulong on her shoulders, he had thought that it was her wings. She let out a chuckle; sometimes people are just so weird around these parts. They had found the Fyulong with Lazette. It seemed like Lazette had been playing with the now wet Fyulong. Halfway through the hall, she heard voices.

“The boy had entered the clergy exams. His reasons are pure, but I’m afraid he might fall… The flowers do not lie.” An unknown voice said softly. If she wasn’t used to eavesdropping on military meetings, she wouldn’t be able to hear it. She thanked her upbringing a lot these past few days.

“Yeah. The damn brat has got to be the most troublesome kid in thi-” _Whack. “_ What did you do that for, Glasses?” The voice exclaimed loudly. She let out a brief chuckle. _People here are really interesting. Not like the ones at home._

“For not being subtle. But I guess to be expected of _you._ ” That was Castor. She could literally see him adjust his glasses while glaring at the other. What was she doing? This was a private conversation!

“But I still can’t believe he’s… from _Raggs._ ” Raggs. _Raggs. **Raggs.**_ Her eyes dimmed; and if she wasn’t wearing contacts, people would have noticed that her eye color shifted to a shade of blue. And said contacts dropped. _‘ **Obliterate everything from Raggs.** ’_

**==0==0==0==**

Castor was curious. Lazette only opened up to selected people and the people she usually wasn’t shy around was him, Teito and Rose. Lazette had a little dislike for Frau, obviously. [The idiot couldn’t last a day not touching his… _reading materials._ Castor had sworn to incinerate every single one of those _horrid_ things.] Rose was the girl who had just recently sought for sanctuary. She was isolated, only her pet _Fyulong_ accompanying her but she was surprisingly lively when talked to. A little eccentric, but all the people here had their eccentricities. Lance, for example, was wonderfully in love with himself. He never did consider Lance as him ‘friend’ per se. He never even bothers to look at ‘non-glamorous people’, and unfortunately, he dropped in the other category.

He had felt a regal aura surrounding the girl; however, it flickered from regal to childish curiosity. She seemed like she was raised in a sheltered environment; and her exposure to the everyday chores was minimal Maybe she was from the Maple Estate? She _was_ Rose Maple right? But the Maple estate only had one child of this age, and he was male _and_ currently in the military academy. He searched for her files, certificates and she never once appeared. Then he had his suspicions. She wasn’t who she says he is.

Right now, they- Labrador, Frau, Lance and him- were talking about Teito. The boy was the only prince of the _fallen_ kingdom of Raggs _and_ the holder of the Eye of Mikhail. They need to be careful, and one of his ‘Sisters’(dolls) was watching over him. Frau was annoyingly broadcasting the fact in the room. They knew no one wandered to this specific part of the church at this time of day, but what could a little caution do? After all, a little information leak would hurt. But with their abilities as Ghosts that wasn’t a problem.

A few moments after Frau had muttered the phrase, an _intense_ presence appeared by their door. They readied for an encounter. The door opened slowly and there stood a girl. Her eyes carried a completely different shade. It was blue. Blue eyes were common enough, but her eyes shouted danger to the bishops. Her eyes were blank, held no emotion, like a robot… _prepared to kill._ It couldn’t be warsfeil, her presence was different. Frau started to call on his scythe, when they heard the girl speak.

“ **Find…** ” The girl’s eye’s regained their light and was filled with confusion, but the confusion disappeared as fast as it appeared. **“Raggs… Obliterate…”** She muttered darkly.

Obliterate? What was she…

Flashes of Zaiphon appeared and their forms flickered, showing their form as Ghosts. He looked at the girl incredulously. This can’t be happening. Just… no. “ **Ghosts? What a nice surprise.** ” The girl- no, _being_ chuckled. What in God’s name…

“Who are you?” Lance demanded, “To know about the Ghosts…” He readied his Bascule.

“ **Do you expect me to answer your question? Mikhail has already shown himself to you has he not?** ” Not!Rose chuckled.

“You’re…!” Frau exclaimed. Castor was equally surprised. What was she doing here of all places? It was supposed

“ **No matter. Things are not what they used to be.** ” Not!Rose said casually.

“What does this have to do with you unceremoniously entering our room, girl?” Lance retorted.

“ **I’m sure Fest and Prof** **é** **has already figured this out.** ” Rafail smirked.

“Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be in the Fort?” Frau glared at the girl. She chuckled, ignoring the questions.

“ **Be grateful I’m not as resentful as Mikhail. If I was you would’ve been dead by now.** ”

“Bu-” Lance was about to throw in another retort, but Labrador’s upraised hand stopped him.

“Archangel Rafail. And… Roseamanelle Ouka Barsburg.” Labrador stated calmly. Staring at the princess in front of him.

 “What did you want to see us about?  I have a reason to believe you weren’t just here for pleasantries.” Castor prompted. One of his dolls was beside Lance, hoping to stop another outburst. He noticed that Rafail’s eyes were looking at the twirly-blonde bishop. Obviously amused.

“ **I can’t believe all the Relicts are very… self loving.** ” He said with a smile. But it was obvious to everyone in the room he was speaking to himself. “ **I just request to see Mikhail.** ” He said, addressing the room’s occupants once more.

“That can’t be done. Teito has already met your vessel and it would be...” a pause. “Why do you want to see Mikhail?”  Castor said, realization dawning on him, hadn’t they been in a fight the last time? The last fight they had killed millions, buried Raggs in the pale blue snow that the kingdom cherished? Did he want revenge? If that was the case

“ **It’s none of your business, Ghost.”** He paused, like an argument was happening in his head. Which was the only reason he(Castor) could consider.

Castor was still tense,

 **“Fine…  I… need his help.** ”” He said a little defeated. Ouka’s body flinched. He sighed. “ **I won’t last very long in this state. I’ll come back when it’s needed. Farewell, lest we meet again.** ” her eyes closed and she promptly lost consciousness. Her body nearly dropped to the floor, but Frau caught her in time.

“It seems like we have another lost lamb to look after.” Labrador said with a chuckle.

“This is troublesome. If the Imperial family would catch their Princess here, it would have a very unsatisfactory result.” Castor rubbed his head.

“Aww… Glasses is stressed.” Frau said teasingly while looking at his… reading materials. Castor called unto one of his dolls, and it snatched away the books away. Frau fumbled and chased after the Doll. He watched in horror as the doll

“He never learns does he, Master Lab?” Lance whispering amusedly to Labrador who was setting the princess on a bed in the room. Labrador’s smile never left his face.

“I think he likes being hit.” Labrador said with a chuckle. Frau was trying to run away from one of the Nun Dolls, he was failing miserably.

“I’ll make sure to hunt down every single one of those, Frau.” Castor said with a flat tone.

**==0==0==0==**

Ouka had found herself in a dark place, she didn’t know what happened. Kururu was nowhere to be found. It just seemed like the world flickered in front of her eyes and it just changed to a different scenery. She was in a dark staircase. _What was this place?_ There were so many tubes and machines around the area, there was beeping and mechanical sounds she couldn’t comprehend. She walked up the steps slowly and she saw a young girl bound to a machine. She couldn’t stand seeing someone hurt, even if it was someone she didn’t know. She dashed to the little girl and gasped. It was her. Younger, yes, but still her. She removed the strings and tubes around the girl. She was breathing. And she noticed something that she failed to see earlier. Little-her was crying blood. She wiped little-her’s face, and little-her’s eyes fluttered open.

“I’m scared! I… I… but my orders are to… Kill… Exterminate… Raggs… I don’t want to kill anyone anymore!! Please no!” Little-her exclaimed, sobbing quietly. Beeping of several machines alerted her that the girl was in pain.

“Shh…” she hugged the little girl and patted her had gently. “Everything is going to be alright. I won’t make you do anything. ” The beeping slowed to a stop but she continued comforting the sobbing figure and after a few moments, the girl stopped sobbing.

“Really?” Her eyes turned hopeful. Ouka nodded, smiling brightly.

“It’s a promise.”

**==0==0==0==**

“What is this place?” she asked the little girl.

“This? It is your mind. ”She said solemnly. Ouka was taken aback by the answer. She did not expect the little girl to have known.

“My mind? Does that mean I’m dead? They do say that people see flashes of their life when they die right?” Ouka asked, surprised.

“No!” The younger Ouka exclaimed, a little taken aback by the sudden turn of thoughts.

“Then why am I here?”

“You have to find yourself.” The Young-Ouka smiled cryptically. “This whole place is a mess. A place filled with unnecessary things ”

“It just means you have to help me. Remove these machines here. See? ” Young-Ouka patted the side of the machine. “I need to get rid of it, but it seems I’m not strong enough to do so. So I need a friend to release this.” Ouka contemplated it for a moment.

“Okay. That makes sense. But what do I call you? I can’t keep calling you little me for the rest of my stay in which I am not sure when I can leave.” Ouka said softly, smiling.

 “Call me Rafail.”

“Rafail… As in… the archangel…?” Ouka gave Rafail a confused look.

“Yes. This is not my real form.” Rafail said sadly. “It is bound by the machines that reside in here. They aren’t supposed to exist here, but the scientists of Barsburg found a way to enter this domain. I suspect Verloren to have a hand in this.”

Ouka nodded, trying to absorb all the information.

“I never hated humans, but these interferences makes me want to reassess the nature of humans.” Rafail said sadly. “I should have heeded Mikhail’s warnings to not get too friendly with them”

Ouka placed her hand on the angel’s shoulders reassuringly.

“Not all humans are despicable. I know that firsthand.”

Rafail contemplated the answer and smiled ruefully. “I… said the same things to Mikhail back when we were in heaven….”

Ouka looked thoughtful for a moment, and an idea hit her head. “Hey! If you can meet Mikhail, will you be happier?”

Rafail looked slightly surprised at the suggestion. “Yes… Maybe… Also, I think.. he has the power to free me… and you from these binds.”

“That is… Wonderful! Let’s look for him now!”

Rafail agreed, smiling. A screen with Zaiphon borders appeared.

Castor and two others appeared.

“You can see what I’m using your body for in this screen.” Rafail explained briefly.

“Oh?” Her interest was piqued.

The screen flickered and she noticed Rafail standing extending a hand out towards the screen, his palms facing the front. The screen showed a few black robed skeletons in place of the four bishops.

“ **Ghosts? What a nice surprise.** ” Rafail said. The reaction around the room were a little hilarious.

“ **Do you expect me to answer your question? Mikhail has already shown himself to you has he not?** ”

“You’re a mean bully Rafail.” She chuckled lightly.

A few arguments passed back and forth, if it could be called that. Rafail was ignoring most of their words, and they were obviously annoyed. The way Profé said her name was surprising. She had not expected to be let out so soon.

“Why do you want to meet Mikhail?” The question was raised and she wanted to answer it. They might be able to help.

“ **It’s none of your business, Ghost.** ”

“No, Rafail. Tell them. They’re Ghosts right? They can’t be enemies. Furthermore, one of them is a friend.” She interjected.

“No, Mistress. I am not to tell them.” But Rafail stood firm.

“It’ll make it easier for us. They’ll doubt your intentions if you do not tell it to them directly.” She said with a stern stare. “It will be troublesome of we were handed over to the Imperial family now. And tell it to them subtly. If you can’t, I’ll be the one to tell them. Let me take control of my body now.”

“ **Fine... I need his help in undoing some alterations to my Mistress’s subconscious.** ” Ouka flicked a finger to his forehead.

“You shouldn’t have said it like that!” She said in a scolding voice.

Rafail sighed. Why was he following a human’s orders? He was supposed to be one of the highest ranked beings in the world.

“ **I won’t last very long in this state. I’ll come back when it’s needed. Farewell, lest we meet again.** ” The first part was directed to both the people in the ‘real’ world and Ouka. And the last part was solely to the ghosts. After the screen closed, They both dissolved to laughter.

“It was a nice experience.”

“It was, was it not?”

“Their dumbstruck expressions were amusing.”

Then they laughed again.

After a few moments of the lighthearted mood, Ouka turned somber, her expression guarded.

“You are an Angel right? That means that I am… your vessel?” Ouka asked confusedly. “I thought they had yet to find a suitable vessel…”

And realization dawned on her. The reason they were performing experiments on her was because of the Eye of Rafail. But why do tests on her? It wasn’t… Unless they had a bigger agenda than what she knew of. A few of the conversations that she overheard resurfaced in her memory…

_“OR-0009 has made average results.”_

_“OR- 0004 is having a malfunction! Dispose of it immediately!”_

_“The Princess? No! We must inform the Emperor immediately!”_

_“Let me present to you… OR-0007.”_

_“You’ll be Roseamanelle Ouka from now on.”_

She shut her eyes, willing the memories away. It would do no good to know of these. But if she was to become Empress, she would need to know the inner workings of these… _things_. It was unfortunate for the empire that she had to leave when she was going to turn Seventeen in a few months. They just lost their heir, and just two months before the coronation ceremony as well. But she found it relieving, but unsatisfying because she already figured out what was happening in the short and clipped memories…

They were making clones. To evoke the eye. In case she _died._ To become the next Empress in case… Ouka started to have her own stands and beliefs… to have enough courage to go against her father. She couldn’t fathom why, but she thought she wasn’t important to the eyes of her father, and now she knew. She had replacements. More than a few dozen of them. That was the reason she was ignored and valued less than display dolls. Because she merely _was_ a display doll. Animated, but never given the realization that she was a clone. A Replica. She couldn’t help the tears falling out of her eyes. _She was easily replaceable to the eyes of her father._ Why did it have to be her? Remembering her father’s cold amethyst orbs glaring daggers through her… Maybe her father thought of her as a waste of valuable time and resources. That she was insignificant. Another bag of flesh in the thousands he had under.

She didn’t want to go back. At least, here people acted genuinely caring for her. She knew trust and love didn’t just appear out of thin air, it was nurtured, cared for, until it took root, being immovable and unshakeable. The nuns were friendly. It was not a ruse; not like what had been happening before. Everyone back at the capital stared at her like some idol. She was always placed above a notch the others, but not really having any value. Everyone made ‘friends’ with her but in the end… A memory surfaced in her head…

_“Hello? Can I play with you?” A six year old Ouka was playing in the gardens of the Barsburg Home. The garden was a simple circular garden with two feet high hedges the served as a maze. She heard the voice and turned. She saw a blonde boy about her age, slightly taller than her. She looked unsure at first, but she looked at her guard and received nothing but a wordless nod. She took that a positive._

_“Sure!” Ouka responded. She rarely had time to play with friends her age since she was always princess this, princess that._

_“My name’s Shuri Oak!” The boy- Shuri- introduced a little proudly, only adding “What’s yours?” as an afterthought as if he wasn’t interested at all, which was the case._

_“My name’s Ouka!” but little Ouka didn’t notice._

_“Okay, then, let’s play!” Shuri said._

_They played for the whole morning, running around the field, her dress became a little dirtied, but she didn’t care! She had a friend!_

_The morning passed by too fast for little Ouka and she had to say goodbye._

The scene shifted.

_“Ne, Gyokuran, can I go to the garden again?”_

_“Of course! Only for a while though, we need to go somewhere.”_

_“Kay!” On the way to the garden, she saw Shuri talking to one of his cousins._

_“You know, Kuno, I played with the princess yesterday!”_

_“So what? That’s nothing to brag about. Everyone knows the princess is friendly. You wouldn’t have even stayed there had your mom not been glaring at you to keep the princess company.” Ouka felt tears well up in her eyes. She didn’t want to listen anymore!_

She didn’t want to go back. She loved it here in the church. She could love everyone without the underlying threats of betrayal and pretences.

 _“Do you want to help, Rose? Hanging the clothes is fun!”_ That was Sister Rosalie.

 She hated her life. She wiped her tears away, and only then did she notice Rafail. _How could she have forgotten he was there?_

“You don’t have to go back you know.” Rafail sat down by the platform near the staircase, swinging his tiny legs back and forth. “To the Palace I mean.”

“I left… because I was sick of the stuffy life I led.”

“I was glad you decided to finally leave that place. And go here instead of anywhere else.” Rafail said.

“Why?” Ouka asked confusedly. She stood, analyzing the place which was supposed to be her subconscious. The details were precise. A lot of machines littered the place. She hated to see this place. But the companionship of the archangel was more than enough to make up for the view. And she knew that she wasn’t the only one benefitting from their talk.

“Because… Going here, strengthened my belief that this world of humans still has hope… And if I stayed there… I probably would have a way of thinking like Mikhail towards mortals.”

“That’s good then! I wish I’d done this sooner! Now I feel lighter than when I was back there!” Ouka said brightly, eyes still somewhat puffy.

“I too… would have appreciated it.”


End file.
